


hooked pinkies

by horsetrackhiggs



Series: souyo week 2019 [3]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Internalized Homophobia, Love Confessions, M/M, Souyo Week 2019, buuutt uh yeah mlm solidarity between kanji yu and yosuke can i get a hell yeah, kanji is a good boy and i love him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 11:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19004719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horsetrackhiggs/pseuds/horsetrackhiggs
Summary: It’s been about three months since ‘partner’ started to hold a bit more meaning for Yu and Yosuke. There was more tender love behind it; giddy as they held hands under the table at Junes during team meetings and anticipation as the pair counted down the hours until they were behind the closed doors of Yu’s room and could sweetly press their lips together. It made both boys dizzy with heat and excitement when together and it was obvious to anyone with eyes the true nature of their relationship. But only one blond punk was in on the secret officially.





	hooked pinkies

**Author's Note:**

> day 3 of souyo week 2019
> 
>  ~~illness/injury~~ or **holding hands**

It’s been about three months since ‘partner’ started to hold a bit more meaning for Yu and Yosuke. There was more tender love behind it; giddy as they held hands under the table at Junes during team meetings and anticipation as the pair counted down the hours until they were behind the closed doors of Yu’s room and could sweetly press their lips together. It made both boys dizzy with heat and excitement when together and it was obvious to anyone with eyes the true nature of their relationship. But only one blond punk was in on the secret officially. **  
**

After Kanji’s castle, things started to feel...off. Yosuke was troubled with guilt between knowing that he was more like Kanji that he wanted to admit and the way he sneered at the younger boy. He would crumble in the shower, knees pulled up to his chest as he would grip at his hair harshly, praying that the running water would drown out the sounds of his own retching and sobbing.

For Yu, it was an overwhelming amount of worry, and some peppered in anger. Seeing his blond underclass mate be spoken about in such a way just because he liked both boys and girls made him grit his teeth and have to hold himself back from swinging. And then there was Yosuke, who was looking thin and exhausted. Who was jerking away when Yu would lean against him, or reach out to give him a playful punch or light caress.

It was actually Kanji who brought it up, quietly asking Yu to meet him after class; eyebrows furrowed, and staying silent until the pair was in complete seclusion.

“I wanted to talk to you about Yosuke, senpai.” He finally says, the concern in his voice plain as day.

Yu swallowed hard. What did Yosuke say? What had he done that Kanji felt that there needed to be a third party involved? Yeah, he’s had a track record of saying...well, homophobic things, but since Kanji joined the Investigation Team and after being called out a few times by both Yu and Chie, it seemed to have stopped.

Part of Yu didn’t want to know. He didn't want to hear it, because unbeknownst to Yosuke it was an attack on Yu. And he’s not sure he can take another blow from his best friend. His partner.

The panic that settles on Yu’s face is obvious and Kanji makes a strangled noise, quickly continuing on.

“I’m just worried about him, you know? A lot of how he’s been acting reminds me of...well me. How I used to be when I was out here thinking I was dirty and wrong for being the way we are.” Kanji makes a vague hand motion between Yu and himself, casting his eyes down to his shoes where he was kicking at the dirt mindlessly.

“And I just wanted to talk to you about it and see if you noticed it too because...yeah.”

Now that Yu thinks about it, he almost feels stupid for missing the signs. He can easily identify the out-of-character actions coming from Yosuke as lines of defense he had adopted in middle school and his first year in highschool. The fear when he made contact with another man, the isolation, the acting out, the loathing.

Knowing someone was going through that internalized struggle was heartbreaking, but in the case of Yosuke it stung just a bit more for Yu.

He and Kanji talked for a long time, about what they had been observing and their own experiences with it. Being able to openly talk about this with someone else was so freeing, and both of the boys headed their separate ways that night with plans on how to give that space to Yosuke as well.

Confronting Yosuke had gone a lot smoother than either Kanji or Yu had thought it would. It definitely started rough, with Yosuke getting defensive but the other two just continued to press forward with kindness and understanding. It was like Yosuke was a kitten cornered by strangers just trying to feed it, but eventually he warmed up. Which lead to a lot of crying on all three of the boy’s parts.

Throughout the next week, Yosuke began to ease back into himself. He was smiling, laughing and wrapping his arm around Yu’s shoulders again in no time. But it was obvious that Yosuke was holding something back, being more calculated and reserved with every movement, every word.

Then there was a day that Yu saw Yosuke leaving with Kanji after school. Yu turned on his heel and decided to go and find Chie or Yukiko instead. If he had known why they were hanging out, Yu’s heart wouldn’t have felt so heavy.

He finds out two days later, when Yosuke says he needs to talk to Yu. They walk their usual route, Yosuke is nervously twirling the hair behind his ear, a habit that Yu would be quick to describe as cute.

And then, out of nowhere, the confession comes. Yosuke’s words are sloppy, jumping between a monologue of how special Yu is to him and the private conversation he and Kanji shared about the guilt he had for liking Yu. Yosuke’s hands are moving fast as he tries to explain and Yu can only watch his best friend unravel with a honey-sweet smile.

“God, Yu, I’m sorry if this messes everything up-- you’re my best friend and I don’t want to lose you but this--” Yosuke rambles, and Yu reaches out to place a hand on his partner’s shoulder.

“Yosuke, calm down. There’s no rule saying we can’t be best friends and boyfriends.” Yu says, slowly, smile turning to full grin as he watched the other turn pink.

Yosuke’s mouth is hanging open slightly, eyes wide with confusion as if he didn’t think there was even the slightest possibility that Yu would feel the same. “Wait, for real?”

Yu doesn’t respond outside of a light chuckle, taking a step closer to Yosuke with a soft look in his eyes. He lets his hand fall from the other’s shoulder, and carefully hooks his pinky onto Yosuke’s sweaty one.

If Yosuke wasn’t trying to save face, he might have just melted right into the ground. But instead, he just swung their hands together as they started off again, unable to keep his eyes off his partner for more than a few seconds at a time.

**Author's Note:**

> hewwo hope u enjoyed! stay tuned for the rest of souyo week 2019
> 
> ik she was kinda vague with hand holding but when i saw that i was like 'tender souyo pinky hand holding....gay dumb babies....'
> 
> PLEASE hmu on tumblr @ dumbassology


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